Batteries capable of fully charging in five minutes have been produced in a factory for the first time, marking a significant step towards electric cars becoming as fast to charge as filling up petrol or diesel vehicles.
Electric vehicles are a vital part of action to tackle the climate crisis but running out of charge during a journey is a worry for drivers. The new lithium-ion batteries were developed by the Israeli company StoreDot and manufactured by Eve Energy in China on standard production lines.
Read more at:
Electric car batteries with five-minute charging times produced | Electric, hybrid and low-emission cars | The Guardian
Showing posts with label Alternative Energy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alternative Energy. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Sunday, August 16, 2020
Pollution and the Global Car Market: It’s time to recognise that SUVs are the big bad villains of vehicle air pollution
The growing worldwide love affair with larger, heavier Sports Utility
Vehicles has all but wiped out the motor industry’s gains in fuel
efficiency over the past 20 years
Read more at:
It’s time to recognise that SUVs are the big bad villains of vehicle air pollution | Business Post
Thursday, February 7, 2019
EU Alternative Clean Energy - Windpower: Europe adds 2.6 GW of offshore wind in 2018
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| Irish Windpark |
The capacity additions bring Europe’s total offshore wind capacity to 18,499 MW, coming from 105 plants in 11 countries. A total of 409 wind turbines across 18 wind farms started generating power in 2018. Most of the machines were installed in the UK and Germany -- 1,312 MW and 969 MW, respectively. The two countries accounted for 85% of Europe’s fresh offshore wind capacity and were followed by Belgium with 309 MW and Denmark with 61 MW.
“The technology keeps developing. The turbines keep getting bigger. And the costs keep falling. It’s now no more expensive to build offshore wind than it is to build coal or gas plants,” WindEurope’s CEO Giles Dickson said.
In the past year, EUR 10.3 billion (USD 11.7bn) of projects, representing 4.2 GW of capacity, reached final investment decisions (FIDs). The investment amount is 37% higher in annual terms compared to 2017, while the capacity covered rose by 91% due to the quickly falling costs. This amount has supported the 4.2 GW of projects, that are expected to come online in the next couple of years.
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| A Danish offshore Windpark |
According to WindEurope’s data, six offshore wind parks are currently being built in Europe, among which is the 1,218-MW Hornsea 1 in the North Sea, the first offshore complex globally with a capacity exceeding 1 GW.
WindEurope’s CEO pointed out that more governments are “recognising the merits of offshore wind,” giving Poland as an example and its plans to add 10 GW by 2040, while there are still some that are not taking advantage of offshore wind’s potential, including Sweden and France.
Read more: Europe adds 2.6 GW of offshore wind in 2018
Monday, May 7, 2018
Solar Power Future Bright: New Estimates Show Rapid Growth in Off Grid Renewables - by Irena
The supply of electricity from mini-grids and small solar devices,
such as solar home systems and solar lights is growing especially fast.
This part of the energy sector, including power generation from these sources, is often missing from official energy statistics. But evidence of their growing importance can be seen in solar panel import statistics and development project databases.
During 2017, IRENA collected detailed data about off-grid power developments to determine current estimates of off-grid capacity. Data sources included biannual market surveys from the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association, the OECD-DAC development project database, national and regional power plant databases, off-grid data gathered via IRENA questionnaires, and information obtained from organisations such as REN21 and the Alliance for Rural Electrification.
New data from IRENA shows that about 115 million people worldwide currently rely on the basic energy services provided by solar lights, while another 25 million obtain a higher level of renewable energy services through solar home systems or connection to a solar mini-grid. In addition to solar power, over 6 million people are currently connected to hydropower mini-grids, while another 300,000 people use biogas power.
The supply of electricity from mini-grids and small solar devices, such as solar home systems and solar lights is growing especially fast. This part of the energy sector, including power generation from these sources, is often missing from official energy statistics. But evidence of their growing importance can be seen in solar panel import statistics and development project databases.
During 2017, IRENA collected detailed data about off-grid power developments to determine current estimates of off-grid capacity. Data sources included biannual market surveys from the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association, the OECD-DAC development project database, national and regional power plant databases, off-grid data gathered via IRENA questionnaires, and information obtained from organisations such as REN21 and the Alliance for Rural Electrification.
Read morL New Estimates Show Rapid Growth in Off-Grid Renewables - Modern Diplomacy
This part of the energy sector, including power generation from these sources, is often missing from official energy statistics. But evidence of their growing importance can be seen in solar panel import statistics and development project databases.
During 2017, IRENA collected detailed data about off-grid power developments to determine current estimates of off-grid capacity. Data sources included biannual market surveys from the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association, the OECD-DAC development project database, national and regional power plant databases, off-grid data gathered via IRENA questionnaires, and information obtained from organisations such as REN21 and the Alliance for Rural Electrification.
New data from IRENA shows that about 115 million people worldwide currently rely on the basic energy services provided by solar lights, while another 25 million obtain a higher level of renewable energy services through solar home systems or connection to a solar mini-grid. In addition to solar power, over 6 million people are currently connected to hydropower mini-grids, while another 300,000 people use biogas power.
The supply of electricity from mini-grids and small solar devices, such as solar home systems and solar lights is growing especially fast. This part of the energy sector, including power generation from these sources, is often missing from official energy statistics. But evidence of their growing importance can be seen in solar panel import statistics and development project databases.
During 2017, IRENA collected detailed data about off-grid power developments to determine current estimates of off-grid capacity. Data sources included biannual market surveys from the Global Off-Grid Lighting Association, the OECD-DAC development project database, national and regional power plant databases, off-grid data gathered via IRENA questionnaires, and information obtained from organisations such as REN21 and the Alliance for Rural Electrification.
Read morL New Estimates Show Rapid Growth in Off-Grid Renewables - Modern Diplomacy
Sunday, November 5, 2017
The Netherlands: Microsoft Signs New PPA for Wind Farm Electricity in the Netherlands - by Alyssa Danigelis
Microsoft signed a PPA with the Swedish state-owned energy company
Vattenfall to purchase all the electricity produced from a new
180-megawatt wind farm being built in the Netherlands, according to an announcement this week. The farm will be located in the Wieringermeer polder, near Amsterdam, next to Microsoft’s data center operations.
The 10-year deal, one of the largest wind PPAs in the Netherlands, is Vattenfall’s first with a data center outside Nordic countries. Nuon, part of Vattenfall, will be responsible for constructing and operating the wind farm. Eventually the company plans to expand the project to include 100 windmills, according to Microsoft. “That will allow the production of approximately 1.3 billion kilowatt hours of renewable electricity,” the announcement says.
The tech giant’s data center operations in the Netherlands are a regional hub for Microsoft Cloud service customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and beyond. Vattenfall and Microsoft already had a partnership prior to the PPA — the energy company uses Microsoft’s cloud-based tools for its business operations including the enterprise platform Azure for analytics.
Lately Microsoft has been on a roll with renewable energy. Last month the company signed a deal for 100% of the energy produced by GE’s new 37-megawatt wind farm in Ireland. Recently Microsoft opened a pilot for a data center in Seattle that uses integrated fuel cells and natural gas rather than power from the electrical grid. The company’s Cloud Infrastructure and Operations team hopes the fuel cells can one day work with renewable biogas instead.
The Wieringermeer site currently has 93 turbines that are set to be replaced with more powerful machines, Wind Power Monthly reported. “Combined with an adjacent extension the project’s additional capacity of 115 MW, Wieringermeer will have 100 turbines in total with a total capacity of 295 MW when completed,” reporter Craig Richard wrote. “Vattenfall will own 82 of these turbines, the nearby Energy Research Center of the Netherlands will own 17, and the remaining turbine will be reserved for local residents, the developer said.”
Construction on Vattenfall’s new wind farm is planned to start next year. The partners expect additional generation capacity to become available in 2020. Once the project is completed, it will likely be one of the largest wind farms in the Netherlands.
Read more: Microsoft Signs New PPA for Wind Farm Electricity in the Netherlands - Energy Manager Today
The 10-year deal, one of the largest wind PPAs in the Netherlands, is Vattenfall’s first with a data center outside Nordic countries. Nuon, part of Vattenfall, will be responsible for constructing and operating the wind farm. Eventually the company plans to expand the project to include 100 windmills, according to Microsoft. “That will allow the production of approximately 1.3 billion kilowatt hours of renewable electricity,” the announcement says.
The tech giant’s data center operations in the Netherlands are a regional hub for Microsoft Cloud service customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and beyond. Vattenfall and Microsoft already had a partnership prior to the PPA — the energy company uses Microsoft’s cloud-based tools for its business operations including the enterprise platform Azure for analytics.
Lately Microsoft has been on a roll with renewable energy. Last month the company signed a deal for 100% of the energy produced by GE’s new 37-megawatt wind farm in Ireland. Recently Microsoft opened a pilot for a data center in Seattle that uses integrated fuel cells and natural gas rather than power from the electrical grid. The company’s Cloud Infrastructure and Operations team hopes the fuel cells can one day work with renewable biogas instead.
The Wieringermeer site currently has 93 turbines that are set to be replaced with more powerful machines, Wind Power Monthly reported. “Combined with an adjacent extension the project’s additional capacity of 115 MW, Wieringermeer will have 100 turbines in total with a total capacity of 295 MW when completed,” reporter Craig Richard wrote. “Vattenfall will own 82 of these turbines, the nearby Energy Research Center of the Netherlands will own 17, and the remaining turbine will be reserved for local residents, the developer said.”
Construction on Vattenfall’s new wind farm is planned to start next year. The partners expect additional generation capacity to become available in 2020. Once the project is completed, it will likely be one of the largest wind farms in the Netherlands.
Read more: Microsoft Signs New PPA for Wind Farm Electricity in the Netherlands - Energy Manager Today
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Alternative Energy: Germany approves onshore wind farms expansion
German authorities have approved hundreds of megawatts in additional
capacity at onshore wind farms. The price at which it awarded the
projects was below expectations, pointing to stronger competition.The German Economy Ministry announced Friday it had approved 807 megawatts of capacity at onshore wind parks.
The projects were granted at an average price requiring a subsidy of 5.71 eurocents ($0.89) per kilowatt hour of power, marking a price reduction of 20 percent on previous deals.
Approval procedures had been closely watched by turbine manufacturers, project developers and utilities after recent offshore wind farm auctions included bids for zero-subsidy deals for the middle of the next decade as the industry is requested to cut costs.
Friday's auction was the first for onshore wind projects under the latest changes to the renewable feed-in tariff law in Germany accompanying the nation's transition from fossil fuels to green energy excluding nuclear.
Read more: Germany approves onshore wind farms expansion | Business | DW | 19.05.2017
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
US Economy:Renewable Energy Industry Creates Jobs 12 Times Faster Than Rest of US
The solar and wind industries are each creating jobs at a rate 12 times faster than that of the rest of the U.S. economy, according to a new report.
The renewable energy sector has seen rapid growth over recent years, driven largely by significant reductions in manufacturing and installation costs. Building developers and owners have been fueled by state and local building efficiency policies and incentives, the report explains.
But, these gains are in contrast to Trump's support for fossil fuel production, his climate change denial and his belief that renewable energy is a "bad investment".
"Trump's current approach is basically ignoring an entire industry that has grown up over the last 10 years or so and is quite robust," Liz Delaney, program director at EDF Climate Corps, told Business Insider.
Note EU-Digest President Trump, however, who does not believe in scientifically proven evidence that Carbon Dioxide Emissions caused by fossil fuels and a variety of other factors are the main cause for global warming, has today signed several sweeping executive orders taking aim at a number of his predecessor's climate policies, Thereby turning back the clock of American advantages in the alternative energy sector for many years. It will also jeopardize America's current role in international efforts to confront climate change.
Renewable Energy Industry: Creates Jobs 12 Times Faster Than Rest of US | Fortune.com
The
study, published by the Environmental Defense Fund's (EDF) Climate
Corps program, says that solar and wind jobs have grown at rates of
about 20% annually in recent years, and sustainability now collectively
represents four to four and a half million jobs in the U.S., up from 3.4
million in 2011.
The renewable energy sector has seen rapid growth over recent years, driven largely by significant reductions in manufacturing and installation costs. Building developers and owners have been fueled by state and local building efficiency policies and incentives, the report explains.
But, these gains are in contrast to Trump's support for fossil fuel production, his climate change denial and his belief that renewable energy is a "bad investment".
"Trump's current approach is basically ignoring an entire industry that has grown up over the last 10 years or so and is quite robust," Liz Delaney, program director at EDF Climate Corps, told Business Insider.
Note EU-Digest President Trump, however, who does not believe in scientifically proven evidence that Carbon Dioxide Emissions caused by fossil fuels and a variety of other factors are the main cause for global warming, has today signed several sweeping executive orders taking aim at a number of his predecessor's climate policies, Thereby turning back the clock of American advantages in the alternative energy sector for many years. It will also jeopardize America's current role in international efforts to confront climate change.
Renewable Energy Industry: Creates Jobs 12 Times Faster Than Rest of US | Fortune.com
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Automobile Industry: Panasonic to invest over $256-million in Tesla’s U.S. plant for solar cells
Panasonic Corp will invest more than 30 billion yen ($256-million) in a
New York production facility of Elon Musk’s Tesla Motors to make
photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules, deepening a partnership of the two
companies.
Japan’s Panasonic, which has been retreating from low-margin consumer electronics to focus more on automotive components and other businesses targeting corporate clients, will make the investment in Tesla’s factory in Buffalo, New York.
The U.S. electric car maker is making a long-term purchase commitment from Panasonic as part of the deal, besides providing factory buildings and infrastructure.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the two companies said they plan to start production of PV modules in the summer of 2017 and increase to one gigawatt of module production by 2019. The plan is part of the solar partnership that the two companies first announced in October, but which did not disclose investment details.
Tesla is working exclusively with longtime partner Panasonic to supplyatteries for its upcoming Model 3, the company’s first mass-market car. Panasonic is also the exclusive supplier of batteries to Tesla’s Model S and Model X.
Read more: Panasonic to invest over $256-million in Tesla’s U.S. plant for solar cells - The Globe and Mail
Japan’s Panasonic, which has been retreating from low-margin consumer electronics to focus more on automotive components and other businesses targeting corporate clients, will make the investment in Tesla’s factory in Buffalo, New York.
The U.S. electric car maker is making a long-term purchase commitment from Panasonic as part of the deal, besides providing factory buildings and infrastructure.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the two companies said they plan to start production of PV modules in the summer of 2017 and increase to one gigawatt of module production by 2019. The plan is part of the solar partnership that the two companies first announced in October, but which did not disclose investment details.
Tesla is working exclusively with longtime partner Panasonic to supplyatteries for its upcoming Model 3, the company’s first mass-market car. Panasonic is also the exclusive supplier of batteries to Tesla’s Model S and Model X.
Read more: Panasonic to invest over $256-million in Tesla’s U.S. plant for solar cells - The Globe and Mail
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Germany: Alternative Energy - Windpower: Siemens Wins Orders for Five Onshore Projects in Northern Germany
Direct-drive wind turbines from Siemens are gaining ground on the German market: Siemens has now received five orders for 23 of these state-of-the-art wind turbines. Two of the wind farms are situated in Germany's northernmost state of Schleswig- Holstein, while the other three are to be erected in Lower Saxony. Installation of all five projects, comprising anywhere from one to eight of these gearless units each, is to be completed by the spring of 2017.
The first Siemens model SWT-3.3-130 wind turbine to be installed in Germany is to be erected in Schleswig-Holstein by the end of this year in the municipality of Südermarsch near the town of Husum. This unit that Siemens is installing for Südermarsch Wind GmbH & Co. has an 85-meter hub height on a steel tower and a rotor diameter of 130 meters designed to operate in moderate wind speeds and deliver a rated electrical generating capacity of 3.3 megawatts (MW). Six other wind turbines of this model make up the Damme Wind Farm project being erected near the city of the same name in Lower Saxony. Owing to the wind conditions at this site, however, Siemens will install the units on steel tube towers with a hub height of 135 meters. Both projects are scheduled to go on line by the end of this year.
The five model SWT-3.0-113 wind turbines that Siemens is currently installing on steel towers for the Beedenbostel Wind Farm near the town of Celle in Lower Saxony have a hub height of 115 meters. These 3-MW-Class units with rotors measuring 113 meters in diameter are replacing five older turbines at the farm as part of a repowering project. The five new wind turbines are to take up operation in early 2017. The operator is the Dean Group headquartered in the town of Neustadt am Rübenberge.
Siemens is delivering eight more wind turbines of the same model to its customers innoVent and Jade Concept for the Bollenhagen Wind Farm in the Wesermarsch marshlands near the city of Oldenburg. The hub height of these units is 92.5 meters. Planning calls for this 24-MW wind park to begin commercial operation already by the beginning of 2017. While the wind turbines Siemens is supplying its customer Denker & Wulf AG are of equal hub height, they are model SWT-3.2-113 units destined for the Quarnbek Wind Farm project. This trio of wind turbines, delivering a total output of 9.6 MW, is currently being installed in the community of the same name on the A210 Autobahn between Rendsburg and Kiel. Working in close cooperation with the developer, the project team accelerated construction times so that commissioning can take place before the end of this year.
Read more: Siemens Wins Orders for Five Onshore Projects in Northern Germany
The first Siemens model SWT-3.3-130 wind turbine to be installed in Germany is to be erected in Schleswig-Holstein by the end of this year in the municipality of Südermarsch near the town of Husum. This unit that Siemens is installing for Südermarsch Wind GmbH & Co. has an 85-meter hub height on a steel tower and a rotor diameter of 130 meters designed to operate in moderate wind speeds and deliver a rated electrical generating capacity of 3.3 megawatts (MW). Six other wind turbines of this model make up the Damme Wind Farm project being erected near the city of the same name in Lower Saxony. Owing to the wind conditions at this site, however, Siemens will install the units on steel tube towers with a hub height of 135 meters. Both projects are scheduled to go on line by the end of this year.
The five model SWT-3.0-113 wind turbines that Siemens is currently installing on steel towers for the Beedenbostel Wind Farm near the town of Celle in Lower Saxony have a hub height of 115 meters. These 3-MW-Class units with rotors measuring 113 meters in diameter are replacing five older turbines at the farm as part of a repowering project. The five new wind turbines are to take up operation in early 2017. The operator is the Dean Group headquartered in the town of Neustadt am Rübenberge.
Siemens is delivering eight more wind turbines of the same model to its customers innoVent and Jade Concept for the Bollenhagen Wind Farm in the Wesermarsch marshlands near the city of Oldenburg. The hub height of these units is 92.5 meters. Planning calls for this 24-MW wind park to begin commercial operation already by the beginning of 2017. While the wind turbines Siemens is supplying its customer Denker & Wulf AG are of equal hub height, they are model SWT-3.2-113 units destined for the Quarnbek Wind Farm project. This trio of wind turbines, delivering a total output of 9.6 MW, is currently being installed in the community of the same name on the A210 Autobahn between Rendsburg and Kiel. Working in close cooperation with the developer, the project team accelerated construction times so that commissioning can take place before the end of this year.
Read more: Siemens Wins Orders for Five Onshore Projects in Northern Germany
Saturday, October 22, 2016
China’s wind power industry faces slowdown as tariff cuts loom
Mainland China’s wind farm developers and equipment suppliers face a substantial drop off in installation volume in 2018 when Beijing’s proposed cuts to wind power tariffs are expected to take effect, industry executives warned.
Profitability will also be hampered by further power grid bottlenecks and intensifying competition over price and sales volume amid wider capacity oversupply, they told the China Windpower conference.
“What worries us is [plant] utilisation, which has been falling much more than expected,” said Alvario Bilbao, the Asia Pacific chief executive of Gamesa, one of the world’s largest wind turbine makers.
The Spanish firm has stayed in the China market – the world’s largest - despite its market share dropping to 0.27 per cent in 2014 from 36 per cent a decade earlier due to stiff competition from domestic rivals.
Read more: China’s wind power industry faces slowdown as tariff cuts loom | South China Morning Pos
Profitability will also be hampered by further power grid bottlenecks and intensifying competition over price and sales volume amid wider capacity oversupply, they told the China Windpower conference.
“What worries us is [plant] utilisation, which has been falling much more than expected,” said Alvario Bilbao, the Asia Pacific chief executive of Gamesa, one of the world’s largest wind turbine makers.
The Spanish firm has stayed in the China market – the world’s largest - despite its market share dropping to 0.27 per cent in 2014 from 36 per cent a decade earlier due to stiff competition from domestic rivals.
Read more: China’s wind power industry faces slowdown as tariff cuts loom | South China Morning Pos
Monday, October 12, 2015
European Wind Farms: Houston Texas based RigNet wins major contract for European wind farm infrastructure development
 |
| Off-Shore Wind-Parks development |
The award of this contract by a leading UK-based offshore contractor continues RigNet’s long-term success in the delivery of integrated telecommunications and operations support systems for a diverse range of applications and industries.
“As modern wind farms grow in scale and move farther offshore, they begin to resemble deepwater drilling operations in terms of complexity and technology requirements,” said Mark Slaughter, RigNet’s CEO and President. “Through our TSI business unit, RigNet applies its significant track record for offshore performance to help these renewable energy developments meet safety and production targets.”
RigNet TSI’s scope of work includes the integration and delivery of critical facility communications infrastructure, including Structured Cabling, Local Area Network (LAN), Wireless LAN (WLAN), Telephony, Public Address / General Alarm (PAGA), Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), Access Control (ACS), Meteorological Systems, Navigation and Lifeboat Radio support for the platforms.
RigNet TSI is a leading global Provider of managed remote communications, telecoms systems integration and collaborative applications dedicated to the oil and gas industry, focusing on offshore and onshore drilling rigs, energy production facilities and energy maritime vessels. RigNet is based in Houston, Texas.
Read more: RigNet wins Telecoms EPC contract for European wind farm infrastructure development
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